EFFECTIVE ULTRASOUND THERAPY AND NEURAL MOBILIZATION COMBINATIONS IN REDUCING HAND DISABILITIES IN CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME PATIENTS

Excessive activity in the hands and wrists over a prolonged period of time can cause repetitive strain injury, which leads to the occurrence of carpal tunnel syndrome. The purpose of this study is to determine the differences in the effectiveness of ultrasound therapy and neural mobilization interventions with ultrasound therapy and passive stretching in reducing hand disabilities in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. It is an experimental study, using the pre- and post-test control group design. The sampling technique employed was simple random sampling, with a study sample comprising 30 people. The difference test with an independent t-test showed a significant difference between the control group and the treatment group (p= 0.000), with a decrease hand disability percentage of 7% in the control group and 15% in the treatment group. Based on the results, it can be concluded that the combination of ultrasound therapy and neural mobilization is more effective in reducing hand disability than a combination of ultrasound therapy and passive stretching in patients with carpal tunnel syndrome. Keywords: carpal tunnel syndrome, hand disability, neural mobilization, passive stretching, ultrasound therapy